What is Right, What is Wrong?
by bluevalleymist
Summary: Adelia and her friends steal from the wrong people. After they're allowed to live, with a cost, Adelia makes an unspoken deal with Negan in hopes of keeping her friends safe. When it comes to Negan, she finds that secrets aren't easy to keep. -Done as a challenge using the 30 Kisses list-
1. Look Over Here

**Note: I'm not fully caught up on the comics and most of what I know is just general information. This is just for fun so I apologize if it's not very accurate.**

The bed wasn't glamorous. Then again, neither was the room itself. The wallpaper peeled down like old banana peels. Stains, either mold or old remnants of blood, stained the once white carpet, now the color of old socks. The bed, upon which a half naked Adelia rested, looked to be in about the same condition. An off colored mattress rested above a broken box frame. A single, thin blanket with holes covered the lower half of her body.

She rolled onto her side, her arms dangling off the edge of the bed. Her blue eyes watched the man in front of her as he zipped up his pants. Negan; the latest psycho to walk into her life. Steadily, her gaze trailed up his naked torso and to his face. "Not bad," he shot her a grin. "For a first time." She almost rolled her eyes, taking his jovial tone as a mockery.

Two weeks ago, he killed her best friend right next to her. He smashed her head in without remorse. The feeling of blood and other matter still resonated with the nerves in her face and her arm. Two weeks ago, she thought she could sink no lower than she already had. Now, as she lay in bed watching the man as he grabbed his shirt from the floor and slipped it on over his head, she knew she had slid even lower down the chasm of this hell. The rest of her group didn't even know where she was; she couldn't even bear to tell them the truth.

"Don't give me that look, baby doll," the man purred. He turned to face her; his jacket now successfully zipped up as well. "You should at least be smiling." Adelia pushed the corners of her lips up, her eyes lacking the shine of a true smile. She pushed herself up into a sitting position. Reaching for the end of the bed, her fingers barely managed to grab onto her shirt.

"It's the end of the fucking world and you're moping over your decisions to have some fucking fun," he continued. She glanced to him before sliding her head through the top of the shirt and pushing her arms through the holes.

"You bashed my friend's head in," she stated, mentally cringing at the soft tone of her voice. Her best friend used to accuse her of having no backbone.

"When things get tough, Addy, you're always the meekest of the group," she accused. Adelia's shoulders dropped and she looked to the faded blue blanket that covered her legs. Even now, she should be sitting in the camp with the others, trying to figure out how to get out from under this asshole. Yet she was sleeping with him instead. She found a way to sneak off with him, lose her virginity before the cruel world took her life instead.

"Yeah," he responded, a grin spreading across his face again. "I did." She looked up at him again. It wasn't strange for someone to show no remorse in this world, but it still took her by surprise. His lack of it made him feel more criminal than anyone else she knew in the world. She looked away again. Her lie to her group was that she was going to get supplies; heading back empty handed wouldn't look good.

"Hey," he called out. "Look over here." She looked up and back to him. "It's those people that got you here," he stated. He stepped closer. "Now, I'm not saying you wouldn't have gotten yourself into this anyway, probably would have, all things considered, but they're the ones that dragged you here." She glanced away again. "It was that bitch that stole our shit. They're the ones that defended her."

"But…" she started but stopped when she felt his fingers on her chin. He repositioned her face to look at him again, his signature grin showing his teeth.

"People like that are always gonna get you into a pile of shit. Might as well have some fun with it," he stated. He closed the distance between their faces and planted a kiss on her lips. It was only a shadow of the ravenous kisses from earlier, the ones that left her drenched in shame and regret and naked under the blanket. He broke the kiss, passing her a wink before heading to the door. "Maybe we'll do this again some time." He slipped outside, the door closing behind him.

She let out a sigh, turning in her seat so her legs hung over the edge of the bed. Her shoulders slumped. It was the first time she felt her surroundings reflected the way she felt inside. She leaned over, grabbing her pants from the floor and glanced to the door again. Time to actually get supplies.


	2. News Letter

Chapter Two

Guilt ate away at Adelia like the undead ate the living. Her last encounter with Negan left her shaken, not so much by the man's attitude or personality, but more so with herself. She came into this world with morals, with standards. The longer she stuck around with that man, the more she feared she would leave the world without them. She lied not only once, but twice, three times, four times to her group, the people she called friends. "I'm just going on a run," she said. It started out simple. Then she met up with that man to plead her case and it turned into pure shame.

"Sorry, it was already looted," she said. Then, "I'm afraid I'll say something stupid and that'll be the end," so she wouldn't have to go see him. The worst part was when she found herself losing track of time, thinking about him and the way he felt. The feel of his body against hers, his breath on her neck, the feeling of his lips on hers.

So she ran, trying to get away through the woods as quickly as she could. Weaving through trees, not even bothering to pay attention to her surroundings. She knew the undead were there, but none had lunged for her, none crossed her path. All that mattered was getting away.

A whistle echoed in her ears. She slid to a stop. One drawn out high pitch, a longer slightly lower pitch. It looped, staggered like when kids would sing in a chorus. Her heart began to race. Apparently, he didn't appreciate her leaving. She didn't expect the news to travel so quickly, she felt she would have at least half a day before anyone bothered to bring it up.

She had even written a letter, describing her adventure to find more supplies. It must have worried her friends. Or they knew it was a lie.

She turned right, weaving her way through more trees and hopping over a fallen branch. The whistling continued, drawing nearer. Without daring to look behind, she made a turn to the left. Her feet slid across the loose dirt. She fell back, hitting the ground hard with her ass. A man towered over her. There was only partial relief when she realized it wasn't Negan himself.

But why would he get his hands dirty just for her?

The whistling drew closer as she stared up, only ceasing once she was surrounded. The man in front of her, Dwight, if she remembered correctly, held his hand down to her. She studied it before pushing herself up and dusting herself off. He chuckled. "I'd be careful about that attitude if I was you. You're already in trouble," he stated. Her gaze fell to the fallen leaves and she walked back with the others.

Adelia stood in front of Negan and the group of his men. Off to the side was her group of friends. She didn't even dare to look at them. Not only had they possibly run to the man, but there was that shame in everything. That shame that she would be leaving this world without her integrity.

"I didn't give you permission to leave, now did I?" Negan asked. She shook her head.

"No."

"Then what gave you the idea I'd let you fly like a fuckin' bird?" he questioned with a slight shake of his head. His eyes narrowed some, in thought as well as anticipation. She stared into those eyes. Those dark, soulless eyes.

"I didn't think one person could matter so much," she stated. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and looked away. _You're always the meekest of the group_. The words always rang through her head when she could barely muster her voice. He chuckled some, that signature grin spreading across his lips.

"I'm not quite so willing to let you go after the fun we had," he responded. Her attention snapped to him. Her heart skipped a beat. She glanced down, not daring to look at her friends, knowing the questions they would have in their own eyes. He hummed and took a step closer. "Didn't I tell you they were the ones to drag you into this situation? And you're still taking the fall for them." He shook his head and turned to look at her friends. His gaze scanned over each one before he looked back to her.

"I'm not sure who I should put in line. You or them."

"Me," she answered before she could think about it. "I'm the one who ran." He hummed again.

"That you are, my little birdy," he answered. He paused. She watched him. He smirked. "Any birds I know of have one of two fates. Either they get their wings clipped and locked in a cage, or they get shot by a hunter in need of food." He turned to face her again. She swallowed hard. Somehow, she felt she always knew she would leave the world without the same morals she came into it with. "Seeing as I'm in a forgiving mood today, I think I'll give you a second chance."

Adelia's body relaxed, the tense muscles released. For a moment, she felt her knees would give way. The thought of death no longer terrified her, at least not in the way it did in the world before, but the anticipation of not knowing was almost just as bad. "I can't let it go entirely unpunished though." She looked back up at him. "No. If I did that, you or someone else might think you could get away with other shit. And we can't have that, now can we?" She swallowed hard again. "I think your friends deserve to know why you wanted to run."

Her attention turned to the three others. Luke, Chastity, and Ariel. She could still picture Mellie's face next to them. The image quickly shifted to the night of their 'punishment', the night she had to watch as he shattered her skull and spilled its remains onto the ground. He took a step closer; his body almost brushed against hers. She looked up at him. He stood at least half a foot taller than her. "I want them, to know, _exactly_ what you're hiding. Friends deserve to know, don't they?"

She couldn't stop the small glare at his grin. Her heart raced once more. Her morals, whatever thin thread of what was left, told her not to give in, that it would be better to take a bat to the head than to show what a traitor she was. Everything else screamed against it. This man, as twisted and crazed as he was, held some sort of attraction to her.

Perhaps with how dangerous everything was, he was safety. He was in control. To do what he wanted meant to be kept safe. And her mind ached for that security. She leaned up, hesitating for a moment. Her lips met his. The meeting was nothing like that day in that dirty room of the abandoned home. None of the hunger, the searching, was behind it. It was simply there, an act she wanted to indulge in but resisted for the sake of shame and guilt. Her friends were watching, she imagined in horror.

The man murdered their friend, demanded compensation for the theft even after Mellie's death. She pulled back, dropping her gaze to the ground and closing her eyes. Her lips curled in toward her teeth. Fists clenched. The thin threads of morals screamed while her body shook for something more. His grin went unnoticed by her.

"Atta girl."


	3. Jolt!

"What the hell are you thinking, Addy?"

Adelia stared into the flickering flames of the campfire. Only the small tops broke passed the ground. It was a trick she and her group figured out near the beginning; if a fire was made in a hole in the earth, with a secondary hole for an airway, it provided warmth without catching too much attention.

"Fucking look at me, Addy."

Adelia looked up, looking to the woman across from her. Chastity. The woman had long, dark hair that came in waves to the middle of her chest. Before the outbreak, she worked at an all-natural cosmetic store. She was probably the only person in the apocalypse to have constantly clear and healthy skin.

"Answer my question."

Adelia's eyes narrowed. The woman had a bark, but she didn't have much of a bite. "It doesn't matter," she responded. Her gaze returned to the flames flickering in the hole. The truth was, she did it as much for them as her own selfish fears. Chastity scoffed.

"He killed Mellie. It does matter," she stated. The bite in her tone made Adelia cringe. The more she remembered that night, the more she remembered him and the less she remembered her friend. She could argue that it was her brain pushing her into survival mode, that she had to block out the traumatic part of the memory, but that made him good.

And she still wanted to view him as a villain.

She hesitated for a moment. "Because it's the end of the world." She locked her gaze with Chastity's. "So why not?" It was easier to accept the bad deeds of others if they were villains than it was to think that maybe there was a reason for it. She had always believed there was a reason for everything, even evil had its place. But it would keep her friends safer if they didn't see that; if they saw her as evil like him, they wouldn't worry about her, they wouldn't feel conflicted. It would keep their minds free.

Chastity's gaze darkened. She stared at Adelia from across the fire. "You deserve each other," she growled. Adelia watched her, telling herself that this was going to be the easier path. Though personally, it was upsetting to think that they were all going to hate her, but it would be easier. She didn't want forgiveness for what she did. The man was still on her mind.

The way his rough fingers felt on her cheek, on her sides, on her stomach, and on her thighs. The feel of his lips against hers, trailing along her jaw, down her neck. The teeth nipping at her collarbone, the soft spots on her neck.

The sound of something moving jolted her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Chastity standing there. "I'm going to bed," the woman muttered, not even bothering to return Adelia's look. Adelia sighed and looked back to the fire. The glow in the hole diminishing quite a bit.

She didn't know how much time passed as she stared at it, thinking back over everything that happened and the kisses she and Negan had shared, but she knew eventually she needed to go to bed.

The last thought that crossed her mind as she made her way to tent was what it would feel like if Negan bashed in her head instead. All she could imagine was the jolt of pain, the confusion, and then darkness. She hoped Mellie didn't suffer much. She also hoped that she wasn't watching from some place in the after life.


	4. Our Distance and That Person

Negan had never forced himself on her. She willingly let him caress her. She welcomed his weight against her. She enjoyed the feelings he elicited. And she hated it all. The stress between her and her friends was too much, the guilt that ate her constantly, the nonstop thoughts about that night.

So she proceeded to pack her belongings. Running away was futile, but she could at least distance herself, get away from the stress of it. To her luck, the end of the world ate away most of her belongings. She had a few clothes to her name, a locket with the picture of her missing sister, and a journal she hadn't written in since two and a half weeks into the apocalypse.

The door behind her opened with a creak. She paused after setting a shirt into her bag. Taking a deep breath, she turned. Luke stood in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest and leaning against one side. "Didn't learn your lesson?" he asked. Adelia turned back around.

"Not running away," she muttered. "Just… relocating." She picked up her bag, throwing it over her shoulder, and turning to look at the man in the doorway. His eyes narrowed and he pushed off from the edge.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I can't stand our distance," she responded. "And that person…" she paused and let out a sigh. She looked away, noticing the dirt building up in the corners of the floor. An odd thing, she thought, how even though they had a slice of normalcy they let it slip away into the obscure still. "I can't blame you all for being upset with me. I would be upset too. And there's him… Negan… otherwise I'd run away."

"If you relocate, it's not you who has to deal with it," Luke stated. Adelia's brows furrowed and she turned to look at her friend.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Do you think he's going to give two shits about us if you leave? We don't have fucking supplies," he responded. "He keeps an eye on us because we stole from him and he only bothers to keep us around probably because you fucked him." Adelia looked away, a huff of air escaping her lungs through her nose. She pulled her lips in toward her teeth before shrugging.

"I…" She stopped herself. She didn't know what to say. Everything she did had a reason behind it and one of them was for her friends. "He doesn't let people freeload. He made that clear. It won't make a difference if I'm here or not. He'll just punish us anyway."

"Not if you distract him," he stated. "Buy us more time if we need, do whatever you have to. I don't give a shit if it's sleeping with him again. I get it, it's low of you to fall for some jackass who killed Mellie and for that I'm upset, but at least we can use you."

Adelia paused, her chest tightening and her blood running cold. Just when she thought the distance between them might not have been growing so far. She nodded some. "Fine," she answered. "You three figure out what you have to do and I'll… go see him." She closed her eyes before opening them again. Immediately, she looked up to the ceiling and pulled her lips in toward her teeth.

"Good," Luke responded. He turned and left the doorway. Adelia felt a sting in her eyes; she felt conflicted. She never meant for things to go as they did, but she had a feeling it would only get worse. Even if she did as Luke wanted, slept with that man to keep them safe, something was going to go wrong one day.

It always did. And she didn't know if she was ready for those consequences.


	5. Hey, You Know

Adelia took a deep breath as she approached the entrance to the compound. The men on guard knew her, letting her through the gate and into the halls. It was there she got lost. She knew her way to the area, she had been there before, but she didn't know her way around. Despite the questions in her mind, she started forward. She would either find her way or find someone who would tell her.

Making a left turn down the hallway, she came to a quick stop, only centimeters from running into the large body. She stumbled back, eyes wide as she looked up to the face of the man. It was the man she was looking for—Negan. "Well. Hello my little birdy. Where are you off to in such a hurry?" he asked. She mentally cursed the deep, natural purr in his tone.

"Looking for you, actually," she answered, trying to keep her voice from shaking. She had thought long and hard after her conversation with Luke, but it didn't set her mind at ease. Negan, though predictable in certain ways, was dangerous and unpredictable in others.

"Is that so? Lookin' for round two?" he asked with a smirk on his face. She looked away. He chuckled some.

"I was thinking about what you were saying. That the others get me in trouble. It's too much drama." She looked back to him, his dark eyes connecting with hers. Her right shoulder twitched when she tried to tell herself to shrug. "So I was wondering if I could stay with you."

Negan chuckled again and turned her around. He put an arm around her shoulders and started walking. "There are a few rules that go with that," he stated. She could sense the hint of a warning beneath his tone. A deep inhale; she worked to steady her nerves.

"And what are those?" she asked.

"Never run away. Never try to get favors for your friends." She let her gaze fall to the floor. They weren't rules for anyone else but her, it was clear in her mind. "Or anything of that sort." He stopped walking. His fingers brushed against her chin before he gently gripped it and turned her face to look at him. "Understand?"

"I told you, I don't want the trouble," she stated.

"What a shit answer," he responded. "Don't avoid my question, baby doll."

"Hey, you know… I'm not really looking to die," she stated. "I understand," she quickly added.

"Good," he answered. Her breath left her when he pulled her against him. "Because I'd hate to upset you by killin' one of your friends again." He flashed that smile of his, the charming one that revealed his somehow still white teeth. It made her heart skip a beat. In that same second, his lips were against hers. Against the will of her mind, she leaned into him, her hands falling to his chest.

In one simple move, he seemed to have the power to dissolve her resolve. She couldn't keep straight what her plan was, what her motivations were…


	6. The Space Between Dream and Reality

Adelia couldn't believe her eyes.

Ariel cringed and let out a long groan, twisting as she tried to make herself comfortable despite the blood seeping from a wound in her calf. Adelia swallowed hard; the tear around the muscle, the hanging pieces of skin around the wound. Without asking, she knew the worst of what happened.

Negan sent her to collect from them. Not alone, of course. Despite what she told him and how she argued, he didn't trust her to take the full amount from her friends. "Trust is earned," as he said. So she was sent with his man Dwight.

"What happened?" Dwight asked, not with a gentle concern or the panicked worry that most people would have, but rather with a biting frustration. Adelia moved between him and the injured girl. Her eyes scanned over the other two. Luke glared at her with a malice she hadn't seen before. Chastity just stared at the wound on their friend's leg.

"We were going on a run to get more damn supplies," Luke snapped. "She got bit." Adelia looked away. She couldn't help her feeling of guilt. There was nothing she could change, even if she had been there and gone on the run with them, but the whole time she was comfortable, even if distrusting, with Negan, and now her friend was going to die. Or worse.

"Why'd you bring her back here?" Dwight asked. Adelia looked to Ariel again, flashing her a small smile. The other girl had tears in her eyes, her arms shaking as she struggled to keep herself propped up on her elbows on the bench.

"The hell does that mean?" Luke shouted.

"She's dead anyway," Dwight stated. Adelia jumped, unable to hold back her small gasp, as a loud bang resonated in her right ear. She blinked several times, the noise fading entirely from that side, save for a high pitched whine. Ariel fell back, head lulling over first. It hit the wood of the bench, bounced slightly, and then her body rolled onto the ground when her weight shifted.

Adelia looked up to see Chastity, just as surprised as she was, with her hands over her mouth and her eyes glued to the body on the ground. Adelia turned, looking to the man partially behind her with his gun still up. "What did you do?" she asked, barely able to get the noise from her throat. The blonde haired man looked at her.

"What had to be done," he stated with a small sneer.

He stumbled to the side, a cringe on his face, rubbing his chin. And then Adelia realized it was because of her. The sting on her hand brought the fact that she hit him to light in her mind. She glanced down to her knuckles, red from the strike, before a sharp pain hit her cheek.

A gasp escaped her for a second time and she stumbled back some. Her head spun. She felt like she was in a fictional place, the space between dream and reality. She looked up to the seething eyes of Dwight before he looked to the other two. He looked passed her and to the other two. "Have of your shit now," he growled.


	7. Superstar

Negan ran the back of his fingers down Adelia's cheek. She tucked her upper lip between her teeth and looked away. "What happened here?" he asked. She looked up to him at his gentle tone; picture Dwight's face as the other man stood next to him. Negan's gaze caught with hers before he looked to Dwight.

"What happened?" Negan questioned him. Dwight studied him, passing only a quick glance to Adelia.

"One of them was bit," he answered.

"And?" Dwight shrugged in response. "I need a fuckin' answer!"

"I hit him, he hit me," Adelia stated. Her gaze met Negan's again before he looked to Dwight, his eyes narrowing at him.

"You think you're a fucking superstar? You don't fucking hit women," he hissed.

"I hit him first," Adelia responded. Negan's gaze shifted her. His eyes ran over her once before he shook his head.

"Doesn't matter," he stated. She crossed her arms and looked away.

"I don't blame him," she responded. Negan smirked and chuckled some.

"I think my little bird is getting braver," he retorted. Her attention shot back to him, her eyes narrowing some. She didn't want to be 'his'. Even if her the swirling emotions and thoughts inside of her were heading toward affection for the man, she didn't want to be claimed. Least of all by him. His smirk faded and he looked to Dwight once more. "Who was bit?" he asked.

"One of the girls," the blonde answered.

"Ariel," Adelia corrected. "She got bit trying to get your supplies." Negan arched a brow and turned to face her fully. "That's why you have less shit than you usually do and she's dead and you're probably going to have less shit from here on out." He opened his mouth before pausing and looking to his men. "Go." The other men hesitated before moving off in different directions. Negan's gaze met Adelia's once more.

"Changing your mind, Lia?" he asked. The nickname threw her off. She stared at him, brows pushing together as the name processed in her mind.

"Staying with you doesn't change old feelings," she responded. He nodded some before shrugging.

"If they don't give me my shit, they don't get protection, simple as that," he stated. "No harm done."

"Except at that point, they don't have supplies so they die anyway," she retorted. He shrugged again.

"You wanna go back, be my fuckin' guest. But don't expect to come back when shit gets rough," he responded. She paused. The words stung in a way she never expected. An emptiness threatened to fill her chest. It wasn't like they were something, and she had heard about his "wives". She never meant anything, but she also didn't expect to be thrown away so easily. She was a woman without an ally, or so her mind told her. He smirked. "No more comebacks?"

She bit the side of her cheek. "Give them extra time."

"We agreed no favors," he responded. She sighed and looked away again.

"Fine," she replied before turning to walk away. There had to be some way.


	8. Our Own World

Note: Sorry if the formatting is different. The site isn't letting me upload a file so I have to copy and paste

Adelia took a deep breath, standing in the silence of the hallway outside of Negan's doorway. Her brows pushed together. In her mind, she asked herself if she was truly ready for this. But her hand reached up and her knuckles rapped on the door before she could answer. Several minutes passed before she heard shuffling behind the door and it opened. A grin spread across Negan's face and she smiled.

"May I come in?" she asked. He paused, the grin never faltering.

"No favors," he reminded her.

"That's not why I'm here," she answered. He chuckled and stepped aside.

"Then be my guest." She stepped beyond the doorway, into the room. It was larger than she expected and better furnished. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised; a man like him could get anything he wanted. It was people like her and her friends who got nothing. She turned to face him as he closed the door.

"I do have a proposition to make though," she stated. Her smile spread as his faded. "If I get supplies for them, will that count for their stuff?" she asked. He let out a sigh, taking a few steps closer to her.

"I'm starting to think I may have to send you back with them," he responded. Her smile faded and she glanced to the ground and then back up.

"You understand loyalty, and you respect that. We've been together a long time. I can't just abandon them." She paused, studying him. He was too attractive for a man of his kind in this world. It made it much too hard to hate him. She took a few steps closer, their bodies nearly brushing. "Even if I don't want to follow them into trouble, I can't watch them die," she stated.

"You will be if you fucking defend them. They're fucking thieves and we don't deal with that shit," he responded. "Or do you not remember… what was her fucking name?"

"Yes." She mentally cringed at the bite in her tone. "Let me do it just this once," she countered. She let her body bump into his and wrapped her arms around his neck. He responded by putting his hands on her hips, a smirk taking over his lips. "My wave of saying good-bye to them. And then we can be in our own world." She leaned up, rising onto her tip toes. "What do you say?" she whispered.

"You make one hard fucking bargain," he answered and chuckled. "One last good-bye. And then you leave them be."

"Deal," she agreed. Before she could think twice about it and talk herself into plotting a second time, she put her lips to his. It was the next best thing to a handshake when sealing a deal.


	9. Dash

Note: Since the last chapter was SO short, I wanted to post up this chapter as well!

Adelia made sure to wake up before Negan. She pulled on her clothes as quietly as she could and slipped out, only partially shutting the door as she did so. Something told her he would try to convince her not to. He had already been against the idea. She slipped passed the few in the compound awake at the hour and made her way through the trees.

If she was honest with herself, she would admit that she didn't know where she was going. She turned to her side and tilted her upper body to slide down a slope to the road below. Straightening, she glanced down either side of the road. Roads always led somewhere; the questions were how far and were the places already looted. She tried to tell herself they wouldn't, but there was no guarantee.

She decided to head left and test it out. The worst that could happen would be time wasted. Just because she came back empty-handed for her final good-bye didn't guarantee Negan would let her out again, either. She let out a small sigh, deciding not to think about it.

Her mind decided to land in a much darker place. She was alone, for the first time she could remember, in a crumbling world that would eat her given the chance. Her gaze flickered to either side of the road, sweeping back and forth. Silence greeted her ears, a silence she wasn't used to. When she travelled with Mellie and the others, they were always at least whispering.

Adelia put her hand to the blade of one of the knives she grabbed. Her hand nearly shook with how hard she held on to it. Her breathing became shallower. Even with Negan and his group, they were never surrounded by silence. Perhaps it was a good thing; she could hear anything approaching her. She took a moment to glance up at the clear sky. The luxuries of things like enjoying a sunny day were long gone, but it relaxed her some to remember it was still there.

She glanced forward, noticing a few cars on the side of the road. As she continued along, the buildings of a small town came into view. A wave of relief rushed over her. It fled a mere second later. Despite the welcoming thought of supplies, she knew there could be more lurking around the area. She slowed her pace, keeping her gaze moving over the area, looking for any movements or shifts in shadows. Her ears remained alert as well, trying to find any sounds that were out of place.

She held her knife a little higher and reminded herself to breathe. Failing to do so would make things worse if something went wrong. She stopped outside of what appeared to be a grocery store. The door opened with a chime of bells wrapped around the handle. The disturbance as she opened the door made her cringe. In the shadows, nothing seemed to move.

She took a few steps further in. No foul smells greeted her, no strange sounds. She continued in, running a hand along the barren shelves. A soft sigh slipped from her lips. It came as no surprise to her that there was nothing to be found; she figured most shops, even from a small town like the looks of this one, would be ransacked.

She made it to the end of the aisle and the back wall when the bells chimed on the door. Her breath caught and she whirled around, facing the front of the aisle. The sun shone through the windows like a bright beacon, leaving only shadow silhouettes in her eyes. "I think I saw her come in this one," a man said, his voice rough like unpolished stone.

Adelia's mind raced to figure out who owned the voice. "Then let's search," a second man responded. She couldn't place either of the voices. Their shadows started toward the aisles. Crouching down, she scanned over the area. On one of the bottom shelves, she spotted a can. She wasn't sure what it was, but she grabbed it nonetheless and sent it rolling across the other aisle.

She watched as the shadows moved toward it and she took off running. The door grew closer. Her hand wrapped around the handle. "Hey!" the second man called out. The sound of approaching steps made their way toward her. She was about to dash out the door and to freedom, her first foot through the threshold, when a hand wrapped around her wrist.

She let out a scream before pulling at her wrist. The man used her momentum to pull her back. His chuckle tickled her skin. "Now, now, let's not cause a ruckus." A laugh came from behind him.

"Told ya she was here," he said.

"Let me go!" she shouted. The man wrapped an arm around her waist and hefted her.

"I don't think so," he responded, turning and tossing her against the other man. The first man grabbed her and picked her up, draping her over his shoulder as she fought against him.

"If you're a good girl, we'll put you in the truck without knocking you out," he threatened. Her breath caught again. She wasn't sure if she should listen or take her chance. Terrible thoughts ran through her mind at the thought of what they made do to her unconscious body. She fell silent and still, trembling as they began to walk toward this mysterious truck.


	10. 10

The room was a blur; the tan walls melted into one another, the concrete floor rising in soft tones. Something in dark red hung in the middle of one of the walls. Adelia squinted in hopes of correcting her vision long enough to make it out.

#10.

She pushed herself up, the skin of her arms leaving the cold floor as she sat straighter. Her head throbbed with a dull ache as she moved. She took a deep breath and tried to remember the events that led to her being placed in this room. The store and the truck were the only things she fully remembered. They had tossed her into the back, her head hitting the hard bedding in a burst of pain.

The drive was bumpy and she vaguely remembered some dirt road through the trees. After the sun began to set, they arrived at some concrete looking building. It looked more like a fortress than anything else to her. The men got out of the cab and before letting her out, offered her a pill. Naturally, she declined.

One thing turned into another and they managed to force it into her mouth, making her swallow it. It didn't take long for the confusion to set in. And now she awoke in this room, still groggy and unsure.

She rose to her feet, stumbling some as the room began to spin. It came to a steady stop before she noticed the metal door in front of her. Her thoughts drifted, wondering what type of building this had been before the apocalypse. Perhaps a bunker of some sort. She stumbled toward the door but stopped at the sound of footsteps outside. Someone spoke outside, mentioning the number ten, followed by a chuckle. A lock clicked and a window opened up in the middle of the door.

"Ah, you're awake," a man said. A grin spread across his lips. "How do you feel?"

"Why did you bring me here?" Adelia asked. The edges of the window were soft, a slight hint of the blur in her vision, but otherwise things were beginning to clear up. The man chuckled.

"You'll see in a bit, dear," he responded. The window slid shut with a click and the footsteps moved away, leaving her alone. She took another deep breath and looked around the room. There wasn't even a pillow and blanket on the floor. She moved toward the walls, running her fingers along the rough material in hopes that she would find something of use, though the hope remained nothing more than the tiniest spark.

She made her way around the room once when the footsteps came back. She moved to the middle of the room. The door opened, revealing the man from before. He tossed something into the room. "Get ready for your first test." She could hear the clacking of teeth and the raspy groan of what they all feared; a walker.

Her eyes fell to the item on the floor; an ice pick with a smooth, wooden handle. She dove for it, grabbing it, and looking up just in time for the female walker to get pushed inside the room. "Wait!" she called out before the door slammed shut. The walker, her skin rotted and ripping to reveal the inside of her mouth, caught onto her.

Adelia tried to move back. Her feet slid from under her on the smooth floor and she fell onto her butt. The walker advanced. Adelia pushed herself back across the floor toward the wall. Her mind flashed back to the conversation she had with Negan, now regretting her decision. She almost felt she should have listened to him, ignored her friends and just moved on. It was beginning to feel that every time she tried to do something for them, she fell behind instead.

Her back hit the wall and the walker dropped down. She let out a small shriek, a hand barely managing to catch the other woman's chest and hold her up. The face of the other woman came within inches of hers, the jaw snapping shut as it tried to tear into her face. Remnants of spit dripped onto Adelia's cheek.

She lifted her second hand to push back at the woman, heart beating faster than she thought humanly possible. Her gaze caught sight of the ice pick. A cold, almost slimy hand wrapped around her arm. The woman seemed to be pushing back with all the weight of her body, which was more than Adelia would have expected from one of these things. The sting of tears met her eyes as the terror of her situation set in. She pressed her back harder into the wall as the teeth almost grazed her skin.

Her knees rose up to her chest, wedging between her body and the body of the walker, before she pushed back at the woman with everything she had. The woman went backwards, away from her, and Adelia got to her feet again. She looked to the ice pick in her hand. The walker pushed itself up. Adelia lunged, screaming with a feeling she had never had before.

It was to survive. It was to keep from becoming one of those things. It was with the small hope that she might make it out of this new place. It was with belief that these people wouldn't last long.

The metal tip of the ice pick slid into the woman's brain, only hesitating when it met bone, but the adrenaline that coursed through Adelia's body pushed it in further. Over and over she stabbed at the woman until her breath ran ragged and her lungs burned. She pulled back only when tendrils of brain leaked down the woman's face from a gaping hole in the side of her head.

Adelia fell back again, her body trembling. She dropped the ice pick to the side and let out a whimper as the tears fell down her cheeks. Her attention remained glued to the other woman; was this to be her fate now? What did the men have in store for her?

She couldn't even deny that she wanted the protection Negan had to offer. The times around him felt safe, a feeling she didn't allow herself to feel now. But they were gone now. She was alone, for the first time since shit hit the fan. And she didn't know how to deal with it.


	11. Gardenia

Adelia sat in the corner of her room, ice pick still in hands, staring at the door. She didn't know what time it was, but she knew several hours had passed without anyone checking up on her. For what felt like forever at the time, she stared at the walker's body in fear of it moving, for fear that she hadn't actually killed it.

Once she was confident that it was still dead, she looked to the door instead. Sleep was overtaking her eyes, making the eyelids grow heavy. She refused to sleep. Her mind grew sluggish but she tried to figure out a way she might be able to leave this place, at least get far enough that Negan or his men could hear him. Or maybe one of the groups they protected.

She jumped when the metallic sound of the door unlocking echoed through the room. With one hand on the wall, one around the ice pick, she slid upward. The door opened. The man in the doorway studied the body on the ground and then to her. A smirk took over his lips. "Well look at you," he all but purred. "Looks like you joined the ranks of round two."

Her eyes narrowed. She could feel a dull ache in her fingers as she gripped the ice pick harder. "Now, now dear," the man started again. "Don't give me that look. You're lucky you survived."

"Is this a game to you?" she asked. He chuckled and shook his head.

"More like a contest," he added. He flashed her a toothy grin. "So far, you're looking good in it." She went to speak but heard the sound of footsteps approaching. The man in the doorway glanced over his shoulder. "Ah, Frank, go grab some gardenia. We've got another body to bury." She heard a mumbled "yessir" from around the corner and the footsteps retreated. The man in the door motioned for her to follow him.

She hesitated as he turned and started walking. Her gaze shifted to the body on the floor with the almost black ooze that trailed out of the hole in its head. Something told her that disobeying would lead to consequences she didn't want to see. For a brief second, she closed her eyes, saying a silent prayer, before heading toward the door. The man was waiting for her in the hall, an annoyed look on his face. It relaxed as she approached and he turned again. She followed him.

Along the hallway were several open doors. Inside one room, she caught sight of two bodies—one fresh and one a walker. The next room simply had a bloodstain in the floor. On the furthest wall of each of them was a number. She redirected her gaze in front of her, to the dark haired man leading her to some unknown place.

"So what's the next… challenge?" she asked. She didn't want to be thrown blindly into a situation again; she wanted to be able to prepared, even if only mentally. The faint sound of the man chuckling greeted her ears.

"It's a team challenge," he responded. He glanced over his shoulder, green eyes meeting hers, and then looked forward again. They turned a corner. She wondered if there really could be a victor from these challenges, if they would even let them live, or what the reward would be for winning. None of it seemed very pleasant to her.

She let out a soft sigh before he pushed open a door to a large room. Five others were already inside; two of them sitting next to each other, one in a corner with his arms crossed, one standing in the middle of the room, and the other sitting alone with their back to the wall. The man leading Adelia grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the room. She stumbled as she followed the movement.

"Number six! This is your partner!" the man called out before slamming the door. Adelia glanced over everyone, all eyes on her except for the man in the corner. She looked to the pair against the wall and then the man in the middle. Finally, she looked to the girl sitting alone against the wall. The other woman motioned her over and Adelia walked toward her.

"I'm number six," the woman said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Name's Lydia," she added. Adelia took her seat next to her.

"Adelia," she responded. She briefly looked to the others again. "So what now?" Lydia shrugged.

"Wait for someone to rescue us?" She let out a dry laugh. "If you're lucky enough to have someone outside, I guess." Adelia nodded.

"I do. A large group; I'm sure they'll be looking for me." She wasn't sure how much confidence she had in her words, but she didn't feel it a total lie. Negan seemed to care about her somewhat, and she would like to think her friends would care as well. Maybe they were looking for her now.

"You're lucky. I was dragged in here with my other two partners," Lydia stated.

"What happened to them?" Adelia asked. Lydia rolled her shoulders and looked to the floor.

"I heard one of them screaming, but I haven't seen either. I assume their dead. So now I've been waiting here…" She looked back up to Adelia. "And now you do too."


	12. In a Good Mood

**Note: Sorry for the shortness of the post. I had gone on vacation and some work came up leaving me super sleep deprived and my computer seems to have eaten the work I had done on this chapter. I am still super sleep deprived but I am happy I could-kind of-recover from my computer being a jerk. Hope you all enjoy!**

Adelia's eyes fluttered open to the room around her. A whistling echoed around the walls, but not the same tune the Saviors used. It was a strange tune to her. She pushed herself up from the wall some and blinked to clear the blurred remnants of sleep from her eyes. Everyone in the room was silent, most of them still asleep, except for the guard in the middle of the room.

He wore a wife beater and propped the dull side of a machete against his shoulder. The whistled tune came from him as he dramatically swung his feet out and paced around the room. "Someone's in a good mood," Adelia muttered, noticing her partner was awake as well. The other woman nodded as the man looked over to them. He grinned down at Adelia and came to a stop in front of her.

"And why shouldn't I be, baby doll?" he asked. She frowned at his last two words.

"Because you'll be in trouble soon," she retorted. Her voice quivered slightly, a happening she hoped he didn't pick up on. His brows rose and he chuckled, glancing around the room.

"Now why is that? Surely you don't mean to say you're going to hurt me?" he questioned. His lips parted into a larger grin, revealing the yellowed teeth behind them. Adelia took a deep breath, trying to will herself to believe her next words.

"No, but I know of someone who will. Ever hear of Negan?"

The man paused, his grin fading as he straightened some. "Everyone around here has heard of him in some way or another," he answered. He forced a laugh. "You think he's gonna come here and punish us? What for? We never mess with him. We give him the supplies we promise and he keeps us safe, doesn't care what we do so long as none of it conflicts with what he wants."

"Then you're definitely in trouble. I'm from his camp. He promised me protection and I promised him services," she stated, trying to be as vague as possible. "So once he finds out I'm here, you're all dead."

"Sounds like we'll have to get you killed first," the man purred. Adelia frowned, her eyes widening slightly. Her passivity got Mellie killed, and now her trying to be brave was going to get her killed. She pictured Negan in her mind as if willing him to know where she was. The man chuckled again, squatting down in front of her. "You'll be the first to die, number ten. Don't care if we have to rig it against you. Negan won't be saving you and we won't be getting in trouble. That's if he really even cares about you anyway."

Adelia looked away from him. He stood up, continuing his rounds for several laps before shouting for them all to wake up. As he put it, things were about to get started.


	13. Excessive Chain

The warm sun beat down on the open arena. It was more like a gym, really, with polished floors and bleachers to one side. Barriers had been built up around the rim where the basketball court used to be. The roof was open, revealing the large blue sky. Adelia and Lydia were practically dragged into the arena by a chain wrapped securely around their wrists. Adelia thought it was an excessive chain, with thick links that weighed her arms down, keeping them flush against her body.

They were taken to the far end of the court before the chains were removed. The man from before chuckled and made a quick exit from the court. A second pair of people was brought in. Adelia remembered them from the room before. She looked to Lydia, who shrugged in return. They looked forward, the other two just as bewildered as they were.

"Welcome to the battle court!" a voice echoed around the room. The four glanced over the bleachers and to the room behind some glass windows. "This is where you'll win another round or die trying." Adelia's eyes widened and she looked forward again. The most she had ever done to a living person was what she did to Dwight, and that was only a slap across the cheek.

Something clattered and reflected light in the middle of the court. Once it settled, Adelia could see it was a single machete. "That will be the only weapon given to you." The push of her ice pick between her hip and her jeans suddenly came to her attention. She would have an unfair advantage, but she didn't particularly feel like caring. She looked to Lydia as the voice droned on.

"I still have my ice pick," she stated. "From the first… trial or whatever. If you can get that machete…" The other woman nodded and looked forward.

"And… begin!" the voice shouted. All four of them raced to be in the middle of the room, to get their hands on the machete. Adelia wanted Lydia to have it; at least it was someone she knew, someone she'd spoken to. They weren't fast enough. One of the men on the other team grabbed it, immediately slashing it upward. It caught Lydia's arm, slicing the muscle in it. She let out a cry of pain before scrambling back.

Adelia matched her movement, pulling the ice pick from her pants. "Cheater," the second man hissed. She didn't grace it with any sort of response. Inside, her heart beat faster than it had against the walker. Her mind was a blur of thoughts that she couldn't keep separated. Really, it was just a string of words. She couldn't take in the way her body felt and barely recognized the word that came out of the man's mouth.

The man with the machete lunged at her. She let out a small scream and jumped back. He continued after, slashing at her with the machete. It caught her shirt, cutting it across the stomach area before the blade came back around and slashed at her leg. She was caught off guard and fell to the floor, still watching and trying to avoid the blade as it continued to slash at her. He pulled swung his arm wide and her mind suddenly kicked into gear.

Her legs pushed her up. Arm extending, she gripped the handle of the ice pick so tight that her hand trembled. The tip dug into his chest. His eyes widened. She heard his gasp as the pick dug in the full way and then she pulled it out. Blood bubbled out of his chest but he fell to the ground without any other movement.

She stared down at the body, emotionless at first, and then her mind processed the warm liquid on her hand. Her gaze shifted to the blood dripping off the ice pick. An involuntary scream erupted from her throat. She lost her grip, losing the ice pick as well, and moved away from the body. Her eyes stung with tears, blurring out the movements of the man's partner as grabbed the machete and moved toward her. "How dare you?!" he roared. She cleared her eyes just in time to see the machete moving toward her, tip first. Her attempt to move failed and the blade slid into her side, knocking into one of her ribs.

She let out another scream. He removed the blade and Lydia moved in, tackling him to the ground. The blade clattered to the ground. Adelia watched as the two struggled on the ground, feeling the burning sensation in her side and the warm liquid staining her shirt and sliding down her side.

Lydia grabbed the machete but the man grabbed her wrist and threw a hard punch into her face. Adelia went to move forward as the man wrenched the machete from her grip but was too late; he already had it embedded in her stomach. Her mind flashed to Mellie and Ariel. She had been too helpless to help them as well.

She ran toward the man she killed, hoping to get the ice pick and at least have some chance to save herself. A sharp sting suddenly reached the back of her knee and she toppled face first into the floor. She rolled onto her stomach just in time to see him thrust the machete down. Moving out the way, it hit the floor with a clang. She kicked him with her good leg and scurried backward until she hit the other man.

Looking around, she managed to get her hand on the ice pick again. The man charged for her once more. She moved forward at the same time. The blade of the machete tore through her shirt, slicing into her skin again. Her ice pick pierced him as well, over and over as she frantically stabbed at him.

They toppled over at the same time and silence filled the court. The watchers started talking amongst themselves before a few men entered the blocked off court, checking pulses. "She's alive," one of them muttered.

"Get her up. She needs medical," a second responded, any concern removed from his tone. It was very business as usual. They always took care of the winners.

Two men picked Adelia up by her arms and dragged her out of the court, out the doors she once walked in with chains around her wrists. The people still gathered in the other room watched and murmured amongst themselves before the two men got Adelia into the hallway. They stopped in front of a large man they didn't expect to be there just yet.

"What the fucking hell?" he asked, anger dripping from his tone.


	14. Radio-Cassette Player

The room came into focus slowly as Adelia opened her eyes. Her body ached, her mind working at a pace much slower than normal. She stared at a little table next to the bed. On top of it sat a device that she only vaguely remembered. The name escaped her. It was something that was phased out several years before the apocalypse, but the name still escaped her.

Her gaze shifted to the man in the chair. His head rested back on the seat and the soft sound of a light snore escaped his lips. She stared at him instead now; his name still not coming to mind. Shifting in bed, she tried to push herself up to get a better look at him. Pain ran through her abdomen and up her neck and she let out a small yelp of pain, letting herself fall back into the bed.

The man sat up, a darkness taking over his already dangerous looking eyes. Negan. She let out a small sigh of relief, not just as her brain decided to remember him but also at his presence. The events prior also raced into her mind; she had killed two men, watched another woman die, and nearly died herself.

Negan had thrown a fit when he saw her. He shouted at the man that trailed out behind them who apologized over and over to Negan. Negan asked if he knew who she was, if they thought this was the right thing to do, if he thought that they would never be discovered. When the man failed to answer the questions correctly, Negan hit him upside the head with Lucille, seemingly without a second thought.

The men holding Adelia up let go of her. She had lost too much blood by that point to stay on her feet on her own and so crumpled to the floor like a limp sock puppet. All she could muster in pain was a groan, most of her senses dead from lack of oxygen and blood flow to really notice much. Her vision flickered in and out. The sudden drop of her body seemed to pull Negan out from whatever spurred on his anger. He dropped to his knees in front of her and picked her up.

"You're okay, baby doll. We got you. Just hold on," he told her. In the same breath, he ordered the rest of his men to round up "the fucking pricks" that thought it was okay to run an operation like this.

Returning to the present, Adelia's eyes stung and her vision blurred again.

The bed shifted as the blurry mass—Negan—took a seat on the edge of the bed. "Hey, hey," he said softly. She'd never heard him speak with any real gentleness, even after the deaths of her friends. "It's okay now." She pulled her lips in toward her teeth and wiped at the wetness on her cheeks.

"I-I killed someone…" she muttered. He chuckled but quickly cleared his throat, knowing that it wasn't exactly an appropriate response.

"Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Shit ain't ever gonna get easier," he stated. She studied him before looking back to the table. It didn't surprise her that she didn't find the comfort she wanted in the man. He was a thug with a power in a world where that was the only way you got such a thing. "Don't suppose it'd help knowing those sons of bitches are all gonna fuckin' die, huh?" he asked.

She looked back up at him. Her mind went over the events that led to this moment. They had been nothing but vile men, preying on those they deemed weaker and getting some sick satisfaction out of their misery and using them for entertainment.

Negan looked forward. "Those pricks can't be fucking allowed to get away with the shit they did. I may not be a great fucking man but even I won't do that shit. I fucking trade my fucking services."

Adelia pushed herself up again, cringing instead of yelping in pain. She practically fell into the man, but managed to get her arms around him. He smirked some and carefully put his arms around her, afraid of irritating one of the wounds. "What do you know? She can warm up to someone."

"You're right," she muttered softly. He offered protection in exchange for goods. So he killed a few people. If he didn't enforce his power, no one would listen to him. Food and water were precious commodity, as were clothing and, luckily, protection. No one would willingly share what they found.

He had to do what he had to do.

"I'm sorry," she added.

"No need, baby doll," he purred. She was fairly certain he knew that she and her friends were a lost cause when they were caught. Maybe she just needed to see how bad the world really was out there. They had always been lucky.

"How are…?" she started.

"Your friends?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"They found out you were missing and ran the fuck off," he answered. She almost cringed. If she had listened to him in the first place and hadn't left, none of it would have happened. They had a debt to pay off. She shifted, pushing off of him some and staring him in the eyes. He arched a brow in question and she couldn't help but smile slightly.

"I didn't think I'd actually be happy to see you," she muttered.

"After all…" he started, his tone thick with annoyance. She put a finger up to his lips.

"But I can see now why you do what you do," she stated. "Thank you, for everything." She leaned forward again, giving him a soft peck on the lips and he smirked.

"Don't think me till you're better," he responded. "Still a chance you can get an infection." She nodded slightly and glanced back to the table. It was a radio-cassette player, and a shame it wouldn't work.

"Are we back at the compound?" she asked. He nodded. She felt a weight lift from her shoulders. Even if she didn't have to worry about those men anymore, she didn't want to deal with that place anymore either.


	15. Perfect Blue

The sky was a perfect blue when Adelia was finally able to go outside. She saw Negan most days over the week she was bed ridden, but it felt oddly torturous to be stuck in bed all day. It almost made her laugh when she thought back about all the times she locked herself in her room before the apocalypse just to lay in bed and read or binge watch Netflix. In fact, she would argue that most of her old life was spent in bed or on the couch or sitting in a chair at a desk sorting papers and answering phones.

Once shit hit the fan, she became used to being on the run, to moving every day, even if they finally found a safe place to stay for a bit. So being in bed for a week was torture. Her legs were sore, her body still ached, but at least she could get up and go outside, where the sun shined through the trees and the sky was that perfect blue.

She let her gaze come down from the sky and to the scene in front of her. Dwight and a few others were waiting for her; Negan had gone off to take care of some business and they were instructed to take her. It made her stomach twist into knots, the thought of whatever the man was planning. He'd mentioned a few times, in passing, that the men wouldn't be harmed until she was better.

Something told her that her killing spree had just begun, whether she wanted it to be or not.

She followed after Dwight and the others. The group of five, including her, made their way slowly, stopping when she needed and making sure it was secure. Any walkers that came by were quickly taken out, with her securely near some of the men so as not to be taken in her weakened state. It was, perhaps, one of the first times she really felt a part of a group.

Sure, she had the others before, but where were they now? They never bothered to come to know what she was trying to do. They never worried about anything other than her sleeping with the man they hated.

He had everything they needed. She got companionship in a lonely world of death and disease, her friends had gotten a chance for her to help them, she was rescued. Though he was not a good man, he was what the world needed, what they all needed, and even the old world made you pay a price for the things you wanted.

The five came to a clearing in the middle of the woods where Negan and a few other man were. In a row were several other men; only a handful had familiar faces to Adelia, but no names. Negan turned as he heard the approaching of the other group and smiled a bit at their advance, as if there weren't men tied up and kneeling on the ground.

Adelia noticed that none of Negan's wives, who had also helped tend to her during her week in bed, were present. And he still moved over to her, putting his lips to her forehead and carefully placing his hands on her hips. She looked up at him. "What's going on?" she asked. He chuckled some and turned, motioning with his hand to the men on the ground.

"Their fate is in your hands," he stated. Her eyes widened and she looked to the men. Each one of them stared at the ground, but she could hear the sniffles and see the shivers of fear that ran through their bodies. Her gaze wandered across the ground and to the barb wired bat in Negan's hand. It was his, and only his, but a new thought sparked in her mind.

These were the men who found people and forced them into a gladiator setting, who took enjoyment in watching as others died. They didn't deserve a clean death, but they didn't deserve a death from someone who had proven to be better than them. She leaned up, carefully so at not to aggravate wounds or lose her balance. Her hands rested against Negan's chest and she whispered something into his ear.

He paused before laughing and motioning to Dwight, conveying a message to him before he ran off. Negan then turned to the men on their knees. "Looks like it still isn't your time. Lucky for you," he taunted.


	16. Unrivaled Invincible

Adelia didn't know how much time passed while they waited on Dwight to return. She had never been good at telling time and, as far as she could tell, the sun hadn't moved too much. The men on the ground shifted uncomfortably several times, many of them calming down from their fear and apprehension the longer they waited. And then Dwight came back, holding a simple machete that looked cheaply altered to have a serrated blade. He held it out to Adelia after stopping next to her.

"Couldn't think of anything cool," he stated with a simple shrug. She took the handle of the weapon and shrugged as well.

"I don't need anything too fancy," she stated. Negan chuckled next to her.

"Well boys," he started. "Looks like your fucking time has finally run out," he stated. Adelia noticed a few of the men look up, eyes widening as they quickly looked back to the ground. They began to tremble and it gave Adelia an almost sick sense of joy. After the terror they'd put people through and the things they forced her to do. She knew it was wrong, but she didn't feel what she was going to do was her fault. They made her do it. It was _their_ fault.

She stopped in front of them, swinging the machete some as she stared down at them. It was her choice, and she knew once she made it, Negan and the other men would be watching. They probably wouldn't judge her if she backed out, decided she couldn't do it, but she talked herself into it already.

Her grip tightened on the handle and she moved over to the man in the middle, the man who pushed the walker into her room. "How does it feel to be on the receiving end?" she asked. He looked up at her, the start of a beg on his lips but his pride got in the way. His eyes hardened and a smirk took over his lips.

"At least I'm not taking it like a coward," he responded. Her eyes narrowed. She lifted the machete and slammed the blade into his head. It ripped out when she pulled it back, the serrated edges tearing into his head as he screamed. Blood ran down from the wound, wetting his hair and trailing down his face.

People chuckled behind her. She paused, watching as the man swayed from side-to-side, before hitting him again. And again. And again. And again. With each swing of the machete, another bit of anger and fear fled from her mind.

She saw Mellie getting Lucille'd, the way Negan mercilessly beat into her. His men later stated that he didn't hurt women, but something was different that day. They never said what or why but he did it that day anyway.

She saw the other three, the looks like they gave her and the way they scolded her. The feeling of twisted regret in her stomach and guilt that swarmed her mind as she tried to balance their safety with the mixed feelings she had.

She saw the bite on Ariel, the shot that took her out. The other two shot her accusing looks and she did her best to make up for it.

She saw the men for the first time all over again as they got her into the truck and took her to that strange place.

She saw the number 10, Lydia, the men she killed.

By the time she stopped swinging, her arm was sore and she was breathing heavily. The man at her feet was unrecognizable, barely even human in his remains. She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. From the corner of her eye, she saw Lucille swing forward next to her. Negan tugged back at her and she moved with him. He turned her around and she looked up at him, their eyes meeting. His thumb wiped across her cheek, wiping a tear she didn't even know she had there. "You're safe now, baby doll. They'll get the rest," he stated, his voice an unusual sort of gentle.

She nodded some and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. He was unrivaled, an invincible leader. Outwardly, he was an evil man, but inwardly, he was just like everyone else; trying to survive and use his strengths to his advantage. He was there for her, a strong pillar that she didn't know how badly she needed.

She felt a soft kiss on the top of her head and she realized, at some point, she had fallen for the man.

END


End file.
